We sat at a a bar and hatched our plans over several glasses of wine
The plan: Celebrate Winter Solstice...
Its funny how things turn out different than you planned.
December 21st
I rise early and call in to work.
I then went over to Mirandas house. Her phone was shut off, so I couldn't call and wake her. After arriving, I wake her. I went to go rent a car and buy supplies for our winter solstice day trip celebration.
Wine,
Cheese, Crackers,
Oysters, etc.
I return and she is still sleeping off her hangover.
Finally rousting her out of bed, we got on the road around 11am...3 hours later than planned.
Our plan was to drive up to the mountains and spend a day of hiking around and playing in the snow with her and her beagle, Napoleon.
Along the way we picked up a hitchhiker...
a stinky hitchhiker with a nicotine stained beard and clothes that were probably his only pair. He was a kind old weathered man though, and the hitch was fairly short.
I asked him of conditions further down the road. He told me of snow up the hill.
Then we dropped him off at a gated road. "Beware, Do Not Enter, Trespassers will be shot."
He waddled down the gravel road cut between dying huckleberry overgrowth.
We made our way to the forest service roads off the highway and started plowing our way through the snow.
It wasn't bad, cars of days past had carved two narrow black strips through the white blanket of snow. Several miles in, we met a couple who had their truck stuck in the snow.
We helped them out and got them turned around so they could return to portland.
Miranda and I stood in the snow, debating on whether to continue. It was still close to ten miles uphill.
"What the hell, we're on and adventure, lets go on an adventure."
We trudged on. But a short distance later we slid out of the ruts. Just a little bit. "It'll be a bit of maneuvering, but we will get out"
Well, with every maneuver the car was getting close to being out, but then it would slide further into the ditch. Three hours I worked at it. She pushed, I pushed, we rocked, I dug...all to no avail.
(no children were exploited in this adventure)
The sun was setting and we needed rest.
So we sat in the car and played hangman on the frosted condensation that had gathered on the windows.
I put sticks, cardboard, and towels under the tires for traction....all to no avail.
The sun set, it was dark and cold, and we were both soaking wet without a change of clothes (whatever happened to the my Boy Scout Motto "Be Prepared")
Ceding to the fact that we were stuck for the night, I sat in the car, feeling I failed her. I was formulating what we would do in the morning. She went to sleep...I tried but I was too distraught over what I got us into. Two hours of restlessness passed and I woke her.
"Keep me company until I am sleepy."
We talked and ate what little food we had.
...the wine...
....sweet glorious wine....
We opened the bottle and tore up paper to make cards. We then proceeded to get drunk over a game of cribbage.
Drunk and tired we finally passed out. I layed cramped in the backseat while she was crowded in the front seats with Napoleon (her beagle)
Every hour or so, one of us would turn the car on to reheat the space. The sun rose eventually.
We awoke and tried a bit more, but where unsuccessful at getting the car out. In fact, one tire hung in the air, mocking our efforts.
So we put on all our clothes, with plastic bags over our socks and started hiking out. Several hours later, freezing cold, and wet from the rain, we saw a car. They gave us a lift to the nearest ranger station.
(thats Miranda, Me, Napoleon, and the Ranger...except we weren't smiling)
Fortunately there was one person there. We were able to use the phone to call a tow truck.
Two hours later, the driver and I got the car unstuck. Miranda was busy sleeping in the cab of the other tow truck. You see, the driver brought two trucks, because he once got one stuck and had to hike a long ways out.
Soon we were on our way home. We stopped to refill the nearly empty gas tank, because we burned through most of it trying to keep ourselves warm in the night.
So that is my Winter Solstice Adventure
With missed work, car rental, tow services, and gas it cost me more than $700...hell I should have just flown us to vegas.
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